Systems are known for housing a plurality of animals in individualized compartments. However, the devices which are now known to exist cost a substantial amount of money to construct and maintain on a per-animal-housed basis. As the study of our environment increases, toxicological services are performed by various industries to determine the affect of the environment on our lives. These services utilize a plurality of cage structures for housing test animals, such as rats and the like. The cage structures which are known do not incorporate advantageous features which minimize the care required in housing the animals. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an animal confining and housing device which will lower the cost of maintaining the animals in a specified environment.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an animal confining and housing device having a carriage and a plurality of animal confining cages removably mounted on the carriage, each cage having a flexible hose for connecting the main water supply to the water supply system on the cage to supply water from the main water supply to the water supply system on the cage and to facilitate the aforesaid relative movement between the cage and the carriage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a quick disconnect coupling in the water supply to facilitate a removal of the cages from the carriage for transport to a location remote from the carriage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cage structure having a water supply system fixedly mounted thereon, which water supply system remains with the cage even when the cage is removed from the carriage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cage structure having a plurality of individual compartments therein, each having a water supply valve operable by an animal present in a compartment to release water for consumption by the animal.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an animal confining and housing device, as aforesaid, wherein the cage is composed of a pair of rows of separate compartments mounted on opposite sides of an elongated trough with a passageway being provided between the food trough and the interior of each of the compartments to facilitate the easy feeding of the animals contained within the compartments.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an animal confining and housing device as aforesaid, wherein groups of the aforesaid compartments have a common removable cover so that when the cover is opened, several of the compartments will be exposed so that the toxicologist can, for example, remove an animal from one compartment with one hand while holding animals in the other compartments with the other hand.